President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to vacate a court order freezing the accounts of the Osun State Government.
The President said the timing of the EFCC action, coming ahead of the state’s governorship election, could undermine public confidence in the electoral process and create the perception of federal interference in the poll.
The court order was obtained by the anti-graft agency on Wednesday, August 5, 2026.
Tinubu issued the directive in a statement from the Presidential Villa, Abuja, amid concerns over the possible political implications of the EFCC’s action.
The President said he respects the statutory mandate of the EFCC and other anti-corruption agencies to investigate financial crimes but stressed that such institutions must operate independently and without political influence.
Tinubu said the proximity of the EFCC’s action to the Osun governorship election made executive intervention necessary to protect the credibility of the democratic process.
The President also said he had not been briefed beforehand about the specific circumstances that prompted the EFCC to seek the freezing order.
He noted that operational decisions by federal institutions are often attributed to the presidency, even when the President has no prior knowledge of such actions.
To avoid perceptions that the Federal Government is using its agencies to influence the Osun election, Tinubu instructed the EFCC to discontinue the legal proceedings against the state government in the matter.
The development comes amid heightened political tension in Osun State ahead of the governorship election, with the administration of Governor Ademola Adeleke and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) already engaged in a series of political disputes.
